Rotary steam-engine



J. HILLS.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

(No Model.)

Patented Aug. 10,1886.

WITNESSES, v

IJVVEJVTOR Attorney 5 N4 PETERS Phelvmbognpber, W:

UNI ED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JUSTIN HILLS, OF ISOHUA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANKLIN FITCH, OF FRANKLINVILLE, NEW YORK.

ROTARY STEAM-ENGINE.

ESPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 347,242, dated August 10, 1886,

I Application filed April 6, 1886. Serial No. 198,000. I (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JUSTIN HILLS, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Ischua, in the county of Oattaraugus and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Stean1-Engines; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to Io which it appertains to make and use the same,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and in which Figure l is aperspective View of the engine with one of the ends or heads of the cylinder broken away. Fig. 2 is a side view ofthe same; and Fig. 3 is a partially-sectionized side View of the same, the piston exposed by the sectioning being removed.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

My invention relates to that class of rotary steam-engines in which the piston-wheel is arranged eccentricallyiu the cylinder; and it con sists in the improved construction and combination of parts of the same,which will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings, A denotes the cylinder of my engine, which is provided at its. ends with 0 live-steam ports 13 and at its lower side with the exhaust-port C. J ournaled eccentrieally in the ends or heads of said cylinder is the shaft D, which carries the piston wheel E.

This piston-wheel is provided on each of its 5 ends with semicircular grooves or channels F,

which are separated by strips G, secured in radial recessesin the ends of said wheel. Channels I are formed in the periphery of said wheel, and extend from the end of one strip, G, on 40 one end of the wheelacross to the end of the corresponding strip on the other end of said wheel. The semicircular channels are con neeted in pairs with the transverse channels I through ports H; Theinner face of each head or end of the cylinder may be provided with a packing-plate, J, to confine the steam to the annular grooves in the faces of the piston-wheel. Hinged at the forward side of each channel or recess I are pistons K, and in the circumference of piston-wheel E are shallow recesses L, and to the wheel in these recesses are secured springs M, which bear upon the inner sides of said pistons, keeping them always in contact with the inner face of the cylinder.

Thesteam may be introduced at one or both ports B at a time, and, if desired, there may be two pistonwheels placed upon the same shaft-one to run in an opposite direction from the otherin which case of course the cylinder must be double the size and divided by acen- 6o tral partition or diaphragm in two separate compartments, each with its appropriate piston-wheel, so that the engine may be reversed by cutting the steam from one compartment and introducing it to the other.

The peculiar advantage of this engine is that the steam can be introduced into the circular channels at any part of the revolution of the wheel with a perfect effect.

From the foregoing description,taken in connection with the drawings, the operation of my engine will be readily understood.

\Vhen the steam is introduced into theindncti0n-ports,it passes into the circular grooves or channels in the faces of the wheel, thence into the transverse channel in the circumference of the wheel, then spreading back of the pistons, and on account of the relative position of the induction-port with the eccentric position of the wheel in the cylinder the said wheel is caused to revolve as the steam fills the recess back of the pistons, and as each piston passes the exhaust-po1't,which is diametrically opposite the induction-port, the steam from behind it is exhausted, and at this moment a fresh 8 5 supply is introduced to the recess on the opposite side of the wheel.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesgo In a rotary steam-engine,the combination of the cylinder having an inlet at each end and an exhaust in its lower side, the piston-wheel arranged eccentrically in said cylinder and having two semicircular channels in each end and the transverse channels in the circumference, each of which connects a pair of the channels in the opposite faces of the wheel, the pistons hinged upon the wheel at the edges of the own I have hereunto affixed my signature in I transverse channels, the springs bearing with presence of two witnesses.

their free ends a ainst theinner side of the pis- Y tons,and thepael iing plates bearingagainstop- JUSTD HILLS 5 posite faces of the pist0n-wheel, substantially \Vi tn esses:

ALFRED SPRING.

as and for the purpose shown and set forth. I GEORGE E. SPRING,

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my 

